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EITI International Secretariat and Open Ownership joint mission in Yerevan on July 8-11, 2024

11.07.24
EITI International Secretariat and Open Ownership joint mission in Yerevan on July 8-11, 2024

From July 8 to 11, 2024, a joint delegation of the EITI International Secretariat and Open Ownership visited Yerevan on a special mission. The delegation included Mark Burnett, EITI International Secretariat Regional Director for Europe; Lisa Swiland, Regional Officer; and Agustina De Luca, representative of Open Ownership.

The visit had several objectives, including meetings and discussions with the Armenia EITI Multi-Stakeholder Group (MSG), a roundtable with current and potential partners of Armenia EITI, a workshop on strengthening the skills required to use beneficial ownership (BO) data in the process of granting subsoil use permits under the Opening Extractives programme, as well as discussions on other areas of cooperation.

On the first day of the visit, members of the Armenia EITI MSG met with representatives of the EITI International Secretariat. During the meeting, Lala Nersesyan, Deputy Head of the Agency of the State Register of Legal Entities of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Armenia, and Hripsime Iskandaryan, Head of Division, presented the upcoming changes to the legal framework governing beneficial ownership declarations, as well as ongoing reforms to the electronic declaration system. The participants discussed the extent to which these measures align with the trends and approaches adopted by Open Ownership regarding beneficial ownership data, as well as with the EITI Standard’s requirements on beneficial ownership.

On July 9–10, a two-day workshop was held at the DoubleTree by Hilton Yerevan City Centre. Approximately 20 participants attended, including representatives of the Mining Department of the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure, the Anti-Corruption Policy Development and Monitoring Department of the Ministry of Justice, the Agency of the State Register of Legal Entities, the Corruption Prevention Commission, civil society organizations, and the media. The participants were also welcomed by Hovhannes Harutyunyan, Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure of the Republic of Armenia.

The workshop focused on the use of beneficial ownership data in the process of granting subsoil use rights in the mining sector. The training sessions were delivered by Agustina De Luca, representative of Open Ownership; Mark Burnett, Regional Director for Europe at the EITI International Secretariat; and Lisa Swiland, Regional Officer. During the working discussions, the Armenian context was also addressed by Hasmik Manukyan, Head of the EITI Secretariat and the Armenian coordinator of the workshop. The workshop was conducted in an interactive and highly participatory format. All participants, including the international guests, highlighted the effectiveness and usefulness of the workshop and emphasized the need to continue organizing similar activities on a regular basis.

On the first half of the fourth day of the visit, a meeting was held between the MSG and representatives of Grant Thornton, the Independent Administrator for Armenia’s fifth EITI Report. Representatives of the EITI International Secretariat addressed Armenia’s leading position within the EITI community, presented the strategic recommendations identified in the latest Validation report, and discussed the necessary corrective actions. The delegation also presented the new requirements of the 2023 EITI Standard and the need to address them by 2025.

Later that day, a Zoom meeting was held with colleagues from the German EITI Secretariat, during which the participants exchanged experiences on the preparation of EITI work plans.

On the final day of the delegation’s visit, July 11, a roundtable entitled “Meeting with Armenia EITI Partners” was held at the ibis Yerevan Center Hotel. The event was jointly organized by the EITI International Secretariat and the EITI National Secretariat and brought together representatives of a number of international organizations and diplomatic missions accredited in Armenia.

Participants included representatives of the World Bank, EBRD, GIZ, CIPE, EU institutions, and the embassies of the United Kingdom, France, and the United States, as well as Eric De Muynck, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgium, and Lukas Rosenkranz, Ambassador of the Swiss Confederation.

The roundtable was chaired by Hovhannes Harutyunyan, Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure of the Republic of Armenia, who presented Armenia EITI’s progress to date, current priorities, and future commitments. He was followed by Mark Burnett, Regional Director at the EITI International Secretariat, who presented Armenia EITI’s achievements and the steps required to meet the new requirements of the EITI Standard.

Hasmik Manukyan, Head of the EITI National Secretariat, highlighted areas where the objectives and activities of organizations operating in Armenia could align with the work of Armenia EITI.

Representatives of the participating organizations noted that, based on the information presented, they would assess opportunities for cooperation and, where appropriate, establish contact with the EITI Multi-Stakeholder Group to develop specific cooperation initiatives.